Trust Me, It’s Air-Gapped: Why OT Networks Are Rarely Isolated

In the first episode of Trust Me, It’s Air-Gapped, Scott Christensen and Tom Walker take on one of the most common assumptions in OT cybersecurity: that industrial systems can be truly isolated.

Based on real assessments across critical infrastructure and manufacturing environments, they break down how air gaps are unintentionally defeated by contractor laptops, Wi-Fi hotspots, cloud-connected devices, remote data collection and well-intentioned IT integrations. Scott and Tom explain why “monitoring only” connections still matter, how undocumented data flows create hidden risk and why PLCs and control PCs often bridge IT and OT without anyone realizing it.

They discuss how increased scrutiny from cyber insurers and IT teams is forcing organizations to better understand their OT environments, and why documenting data flows and connectivity is now critical to managing both risk and insurance costs .

If you think your environment is air-gapped, this episode explains why it probably isn’t, and what to do about it.